On January 19th tents were distributed to migrants because the cold weather plan was suspended and the BCMO gymnasium closed. migrants launched a movement protest on the morning of the closure by burning a few blankets and banners, so the evening after the distribution of tents they decided to sleep next to BCMO. half an hour later fifty uniformed police riot made a line outside the camp, saying that if migrants do not leave they would destroy everything .After negotiation they agreed that migrants could leave with tents in the direction of the old jungle and they would not stop anyone and destroy any tents … migrants and activists were going to install the new camp escorted by the Police who showed us the place where they would not intervene… Yet they arrested 6 people at 2 am and came back at 7am.

At midday 20 vans of CRS surrounded the jungle and destroyed the whole camp.

We recovered a few tents and a few bags at the dump and the migrants returned and settled again before the BCMO ..

The Police came and removed all the tents near the BCMO and they have orders to prevent any gatherings and destroy them forthwith anything that resembles a shelter on a public way throughout the parks and in all the “jungles”

just after removing the tents they followed the migrants and destroy their shelters soon as they decided to set up somewhere … A whole company of CRS followed the migrants over much of the night in their every move,

a group formed hunting parks in parks and street to street …

Police asked to speak with us by saying that any way they would continue harassing migrants, we were stopped outside the town hall stopping us from going any further … we told them that we did not want to go in the park in front but to our place, we assume that the offense of Delit de solidarité that they just have come to arrest us but we would stay with migrants whatever, we would wait for them with nothing to fear …

but we must meet quickly to decide what to do in the future, an emergency meeting will take place tomorrow between activists and migrants, we must position ourselves to fight and we must assume it or we look for an alternative solution

Like the UK, France is currently facing a wave of extremely cold weather, with snow and constant freezing temperatures in numerous northern areas. With migrants being offered no shelter or support of any kind from the Government, and with those trying to help migrants being persecuted and harrased, large numbers of people are in danger of dying on the streets.

In Paris hundreds of migrants try to escape the cold through sleeping under bridges or abandoned warehouses. In the woods of Vincennes and Versailles new camps have been set up, with migrants huddled around campfires all day and night in an attempt to escape the freezing conditions.
The same situation is present in Calais, where the temperatures have dropped to significantly low levels.

A coalition of political groups, aid organisations and charities is demanding the government to provide some form of shelter for these destitute migrants. The opening of gymnasiums or other lage halls at nighttime is vital if people are to survive the winter temperatures. A demonstration has been called for the 21st of January in Calais to put pressure on local authorities.

On a more positive note however, a group of Afghans from Roissy, who were due to be deported the other day, have managed to escape deportation and have been released. They may be safe to some extent for now, but help must be ensured if the migrants are to survive the freezing conditions.

Transnational protest against the border regime! Whatever side of the channel you live on, join us on Saturday! Protest outside the ‘Joint Centre for Intelligence’ Bouverie House, (Folkstone police station) Bouverie Road West, 3pm..

On Saturday 28th November 2009, French and British solidarity activists will stage a cross-channel protest from Calais to Folkstone. They will protest against the tightening of border controls and collaboration between the French and the British authorities, which is creating a heightened humanitarian crisis in Calais where hundreds of migrants now sleep rough and suffer constant police abuse, after being stopped from entering Britain, and having their homes in Calais bulldozed in September of this year

The protest will start at 10:00 local time in Calais, where both migrants and activists will gather at the town hall before boarding ferries in Calais and travelling on to Folkstone. While on the ferry, workshops will be held discussing the UK Border Regime and its impacts on migrants in Calais, and in Folkstone the final protest will be held outside the newly built Joint Intelligence Unit, which is a centre for both the British and French services who specialise in trying to combat international ‘illegal’ immigration networks. Join us at 1500 to demonstrate! Bring banners, and make some noise!

What they call ‘illegal’ immigration is in fact the visible human cost of war, which they don’t dare face. Everyday increasing numbers of UK troops are sent to Afghanistan, but when the human stories emerge and people inevitably migrate, we respond with further violence and hardships against these individuals.

Phil Woolas has announced that the United Kingdom will immediately contribute £15 million to the introduction of improved security mechanisms, such as developing high tech monitoring equipment, and building increasingly large detention centers, such as the biggest ever planned at Bullingdon house… all the while failing to acknowledge the reasons why people migrate. When Besson cleared the “jungle”, he did not stop migration. Attempts to make the borders ‘impermeable’ by 2010 will not stop people trying to cross, but only force them to take more life threatening measures.

France and England are tightening their grip on the border, but on both sides of the channel, resistance is spreading in solidarity with all those without papers. The demonstration today began and will end in Calais, with activists from across Europe travelling back together to Calais in order to continue the work with those migrants could not cross today. We will continue to resist police oppression in Calais and demand an end to these racist border controls, freedom of movement for all, and the right to stay without fear of persecution, invasion or natural disasters.

For more information,
Phone number (live from Friday 07535319119)calaisolidarity@gmail.com
calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com
Twitter: calaisolidarity